:: ''See also: [[State-by-state comparison of donations to state house campaigns]]''

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This chart shows how many candidates ran for state house in New Jersey in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state house races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from [[Follow The Money]].<ref name=ftm>[http://www.followthemoney.org/database/state_overview.phtml?s=NJ&y=2011 ''Follow the Money,'' "New Jersey General Assembly 2011 Campaign Contributions"]</ref>

The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election is April 1, 2013. The deadline for objections to nomination petitions for primary election candidates is April 5, 2013. Independent candidates wishing to run in the general election are required to submit their nomination petitions by June 4, 2013. The deadline for objections to nomination petitions for independent general election candidates is June 10, 2013.[1][2]

Nomination petitions must contain the signatures of at least 100 voters in the legislative district. Candidates are required to disclose any criminal convictions.[3]

Majority control

Heading into the November 5 election, the Democratic Party holds the majority in the New Jersey General Assembly:

Campaign contributions

This chart shows how many candidates ran for state house in New Jersey in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state house races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[4]

Total contributions, New Jersey General Assembly

Year

Number of candidates

Total contributions

2011

215

$25,001,973

2009

205

$25,487,974

2007

204

$26,388,602

2005

212

$23,299,489

2003

233

$15,682,188

2001

218

$12,642,876

1999

216

$13,178,596

1997

138

$7,436,476

During the 2011 election, the total contributions to the 215 Assembly candidates was $25,001,973. The top 10 contributors were:[4]

2011 Donors, New Jersey General Assembly

Donor

Amount

New Jersey State Laborers

$344,500

New Jersey Education Association

$325,900

New Jersey Republican Party

$296,965

New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters

$296,950

Election Fund of Cook Conaway & Singleton

$245,493

New Jersey Association of Realtors

$242,450

1199 Seiu United Healthcare Workers East

$185,400

Communications Workers New Jersey

$162,500

Cmte to Elect Lesniak Cryan & Quijano

$157,485

Democratic Assembly Campaign Cmte

$155,183

Qualifications

In order to be a candidate to run for the New Jersey General Assembly, a candidate must:

Be a citizen of the United States

Reside for no less than two years in the district the candidate plans to represent.

Impact of redistricting

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, New Jersey's population increased from 8,414,350 to 8,791,894 between 2000 and 2010.[7]

The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is responsible for redistricting. This is one of 11 commissions nationwide that is responsible for redistricting. This redistricting commission is comprised of 10 members, chosen by the following:

If a plan is not in place, the New Jersey Supreme Court selects an 11th member. For the third consecutive decade, Rutgers professor Alan Rosenthal was chosen as the tie-breaking member. Rosenthal was unable to get the commission to agree on a compromise map and therefore had to cast a tie-breaking vote. He ultimately went with the Democrats' map, stating that it "reflected the current distribution of partisan preferences in New Jersey."[8]